UCLA (4-4, 2-3) at Utah (4-4, 1-4)
When: Friday, November 3rd 2017
Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
Time: 9:30 ET | TV: FOX Sports 1
Opening Odds: Utah -5/61
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Two teams trying to get back on track just to make a Bowl game will meet in Salt Lake City Friday night as the Utah Utes host the UCLA Bruins at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes were highly-ranked with a 4-0 start, but have dropped their last four games with the last two being blowout losses to Arizona State (30-10) and Oregon (41-20). Utah has three home games left of their remaining four in order to get two more wins to become Bowl-eligible, so this is a great opportunity tonight against an equally struggling UCLA squad, who has lost four of six since a 2-0 start. The Bruins have lost their last three games by double-digits including a 44-23 setback at Washington in their last contest. This game will be Utah’s 10th annual Blackout Game, and while the Utes own a 7-2 record in such games, one of their losses was to the Bruins in 2013. UCLA leads the series 11-4, but the two teams have split their six meetings since Utah joined the Pac-12 in 2011, with the Utes winning the most recent in Los Angeles last season 52-45.
Part of UCLA’s recent struggles has to do with a terrible run defense that is ranked dead last (130th) in the country, allowing average of 307.1 yards per game, 6.05 yards per carry and 23 touchdowns. In UCLA’s three Pac-12 defeats against Stanford, Arizona, and Washington, they gave up 398.3 yards a game on the ground including 14 rushing touchdowns. UCLA does have a potent offense led by future NFL first round draft pick Josh Rosen, who has a 145.8 rating and leads the conference with 339.1 passing yards per game. Senior wideout Darren Andrews, who leads the conference with nine TD receptions, ranks third with 88.4 yards per game.
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The Utes own the Pac-12’s fourth-ranked pass defense (199.1 yards) and have allowed only nine TD passes while totaling 10 interceptions. Dual-threat quarterback Tyler Huntley has played the last two games after sitting out the previous two with a shoulder injury, and rebounded from a four-interception outing against Arizona State with 339 total yards of offense, two TDs and no interceptions in the loss to Oregon. Linebacker Sunia Tauteoli ranks ninth in the Pac-12 with 8.5 tackles for loss, but the Utes don’t have the best run defense after getting hurt for a season-high 347 yards by running back Royce Freeman and Oregon.
WEEK 10 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS
Both teams are struggling right now and a lot of games come down to turnovers, which are really hard to predict. Utah is tied for eighth in the country with 19 takeaways and owns a +3 turnover differential while UCLA is 11th in the Pac-12 with a -7 turnover margin. That, and the fact that Utah is at home, gives them the slight edge.
Pick: Utah -6.5
TRENDS:
- Bruins are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Friday games.
- Bruins are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points.
- Bruins are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- Bruins are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 conference games.
- Bruins are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games.
- Utes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.
- Utes are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
- Utes are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points.
- Utes are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
- Utes are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games after allowing more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Utes are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Over is 4-0 in Bruins last 4 road games.
- Under is 8-1-1 in Bruins last 10 games in November.
- Over is 5-1 in Bruins last 6 Friday games.
- Over is 4-1 in Bruins last 5 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Under is 10-3 in Bruins last 13 games on fieldturf.
- Over is 6-2 in Bruins last 8 games overall.
- Over is 6-2 in Bruins last 8 games after accumulating less than 275 total yards in their previous game.
- Under is 11-4-2 in Bruins last 17 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
- Under is 5-2 in Bruins last 7 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
- Over is 5-2 in Bruins last 7 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points.
- Under is 36-17-1 in Bruins last 54 games following a straight up loss.
- Under is 7-1 in Utes last 8 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Under is 5-1 in Utes last 6 home games.
- Under is 4-1 in Utes last 5 games in November.
- Over is 4-1 in Utes last 5 games following a ATS loss.
- Under is 8-3 in Utes last 11 games overall.
- Over is 13-5 in Utes last 18 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
- Under is 5-2 in Utes last 7 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
- Under is 5-2 in Utes last 7 conference games.
- Road team is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
- Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
- Bruins are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
